Pedroia on extension: 'This is my home'

Scott LauberTuesday, July 23, 2013

Credit: AP

Dustin Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia hasn’t signed anything yet, and until he does, nothing is official. But although he isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season, he’s on the verge of receiving a contract extension reportedly worth seven years and about $100 million.

So, why now?

“This is my home,” Pedroia said, as the Red Sox prepared for tonight’s game against the Rays at Fenway Park. “I love being here. I love my teammates, love this city. If it becomes (official), I’ll be pretty excited.”

The extension would begin before the 2015 season and run through 2021, at which point Pedroia will be 38 years old and a 16-year major league veteran. Thus, it all but guarantees that Pedroia will spend his entire career with the Red Sox, something he admits would mean a lot to him, especially after the club took a chance on him when many scouts believed he was too small to play in the majors.

“The Red Sox drafted me. A lot of teams passed on me because of my size and stuff like that,” Pedroia said. “That’s why I want to make sure I work as hard as I can to make sure that they made the right choice in drafting me and me being here my whole career. I just want to make sure I’m playing my last game here. That’s important.”

Pedroia could have opted to wait until next season before agreeing to an extension. After all, he’s under contract through next season, with the Red Sox holding an $11 million option for 2015. And with Robinson Cano, the only comparable second baseman in the American League, eligible for free agency this winter and angling for a $200 million contract, Pedroia could have used the Cano contract to extract more money from the Red Sox.

But Pedroia doesn’t believe he’s leaving money on the table.

“I don’t look at it like that,” he said. “I try to look at, I want to be in a place that’s special to me. This place has been that. It’s the only thing I know. I love putting on the Red Sox uniform everyday. I’m a pretty loyal guy. I love being here. I live and die by this team. It’s important to me to be here my whole time.”